Borrowed Time and Bombs
by RushtonLane
Summary: All Danny could think of was that Steve had got it wrong. He should have said, "You're THEIR father." As always, don't own the characters.
1. Evaluations

It kept playing over and over in his head, a never ending loop he couldn't stop. A bomb strapped to a terrorist's chest, a proximity sensor glowing bright, seemingly burning a red dot through his dress shirt into his chest, the bomb tech methodically tracing wires and Steve trying to distract him by getting him to continue his story about Jersey.

The beep getting louder, the tech showing some nervousness...

"Steve, get outta here!"

"No, not gonna happen."

"Need you to take care of Grace..." Steve cutting him off before he could finish his sentence.

"That's your job, pal. You're her dad!"

When it was all clear. He bent over barely holding himself up, hands on his knees. It was all he could do to remember how to breathe. Looking up at Steve, "I uh. I'd offer to take you for a beer, but I've got somewhere I gotta be."

Steve looked at him tears glinting in his eyes, "Next time, huh?"

The nervous laugh came out before he could stop it. "Let's hope there's not a next time."

He'd made the father/daughter dance with Grace. His mind couldn't stop wandering, but hopefully he'd kept it from Grace. There was a moment when she'd questioned him, but he'd covered it up with one of his smiles and they'd kept dancing.

Sitting in the dark, Danny came to the realization that he needed to come completely clean with Steve. He'd come closing to dying several times, but this was the first time he'd had the time to consider all the ramifications if he'd died without anyone else knowing his secret. It was only logical he chose Steve, his partner and best friend. It didn't occur to him as odd that in covering his bases in case of his demise, he'd chosen to entrust his largest secret to the one person who'd most likely be the cause of said death.

Checking the time, Danny saw it was late but not so late that Steve would be already in bed. Before he could change his mind, he picked up his phone and hit the speed dial.

"Hey, Danny! How'd the dance go?"

"Good. It went good. Grace was an absolute vision in pink."

"Guessing you didn't call this late to give a run down. What's up?"

"Yeah, sorry about the time. Uh, Steve, I really need a favor."

Steve really didn't like the sound of Danny's voice. Nervously he said, "Of course, Danno, whatever you need. Just tell me."

Danny's inhale was very audible over the phone. "What are you doing about 9:30 tomorrow?"

"Don't have anything pressing. Don't you have Grace for the weekend?"

"Yeah I did, but I took her back to Rachel's after the dance. There's something I need to take care of and I need your help."

For Danny to willing give up time with Grace, Steve knew that whatever it was Danny needed his help with it was serious. He agreed to be ready and waiting at 9:30. Both men hung up at the same time, Steve moving to catch a few winks and Danny to continue staring into the dark praying for sleep.


	2. The Bad

Steve had been so unnerved by Danny's late night call that he was waiting for his partner by pacing the front yard. One minute before 9:30 he heard the familiar thrum of an engine, then the Camaro pulled up. Danny didn't cut the engine, just opened the door and half stood up. With a nod towards the passenger door, he slid back behind the wheel. Steve's "something's wrong with Danno" radar went ballistic as he trotted over car and got in. Not sure what to do, Steve buckled his seatbelt and wiped his hands down the side of his cargos.

Since both men were always on call because of their positions with Five-0, Steve had his badge at his waist and was packing. Danny waited till Steve was buckled up then said, "Lock your gun in the jockey box, but leave your badge on. It''ll help." Steve badly wanted to say something, but he held his tongue, following Danny's direction.

Seeing Danny's gun already in the box, Steve placed his next to it and closed it. He turned to get a good look at his partner. Danny was dressed in jeans, layered pull overs and sneakers, his badge in it's customary place on his waistband. The badge looked like it had been recently polished, shining brightly in the sunshine. Over all, it was the most casual Steve had seen Danny in a long time at least as far as clothing went. His demeanor was anything but casual. At the risk of being cliche, "You could cut the tension with a butter knife." As badly as he wanted answers, Steve reigned in his curiosity and settled back to wait for his friend to tell him what was going on.

It was ten minutes before Danny spoke again. "I know this isn't easy and I know you want answers, but I need you to just follow my lead for a while and I promise, _promise_ that I'll explain everything afterwards. I also know I'm asking a lot and before we're done it's going to be even more. I'll completely understand if you say no, but I really need you to just go with this and wait till the end before you make any decisions. Can you do that for me, Steve?"

"Can I just ask one question?" Seeing Danny's nod he continued, "You're not sick or dying are you, partner?"

Startled by the question, it took Danny a second to reply, "What? No. I'm not dying and before you ask, neither is Grace."

"Oh, okay. Good." Steve's relief lacing those three words.

Steve looked out the window, surprised that he recognized the residential area they were in. They were only about twenty minutes from Danny's and even less to HQ. When Danny slowed and pulled into a parking lot, Steve was puzzled. He didn't know there was a place of business around here, then his saw the sign, _Palms Transitional and Permanent Living Center_. What the hell was going on. Steve watched closely as they parked, got out of the car and walked to the door, but Danny was giving nothing away.

Danny stopped and turned to Steve before he opened the door to the facility. "Remember, please just follow my lead. Keep your voice low key and don't make any sudden movements. Oh, yeah, turn the ringer off on your phone." Steve nodded his reply and follow Danny inside.

The woman at the front desk broke into a huge grin when she saw who was walking through the door and ran around the desk to envelope Danny in a hug. "Danny, good to see you. Saw what happened yesterday on the news. You doin' okay?"

Wrapping the woman, who was old enough to be his mom, in a one armed hug, Danny showed the first signs of being, well Danny, since he'd picked up Steve. "Yeah, Ami. I'm good. How's he doing today?"

"I haven't talked to Carol this morning. Let me page her for you. In the mean time, who's this distinguished gentleman?" she asked staring at Steve.

"Oh, sorry. Ami Marten, this is my partner Steve McGarrett. Steve, this is Ami, watchdog extraordinaire."

"Nice to finally meet you, young man," Ami said as she slapped Danny on the arm and thumbed a code into the walkie talkie she was holding.

"Nice to meet you too, ma'am," Steve chuckled, watching Danny rub the contact spot.

As she moved back to her station behind the desk, Ami continued the conversation, "Figured you'd be in this morning since you couldn't make it yesterday. How'd the dance go? Did you make it to that?"

"Yeah, I did. Grace had a good time." Danny responded while looking at his partner. He knew that Steve was almost to the breaking point of patience, but he silently sent him a plea to hold out a little longer. Steve caught the look and nodded again at Danny.

When he'd said this wasn't going to be easy, Danny wasn't kidding. With every passing second, Steve had more questions and he wasn't getting any answers. This woman obviously knew Danny very well if she was bring up Grace and the dance. Steve couldn't help but wonder why Danny would be on first name basis with the receptionist of a convalescent home. He really hoped he'd get some answers soon. Just as he was getting the courage to say something, a very efficient looking woman came down the hall towards them.

"Danny, it's good to see you in one piece. Thanks for making the world safe again for us humble subjects."

Danny let out a genuine laugh. "Jeez, Carol, could you get more cheesy?" Sobering a little he asked, "How's he doing?"

Steve literally felt the air cool around them as he watched the new woman school her expression. "He had a tough day yesterday. One of the new interns made the mistake of leaving the evening news on in the rec. room. Your story was the headliner. The night crew had to give him a mild sedative."

"What!" Danny almost screamed. "Why didn't someone call me?"

Carol cast her eyes downward, "The same intern decided that it wasn't necessary as everyone had told him you'd be here today. They thought they had it under control."

Danny took a controlling breath trying very hard to check his anger. "It says right in his file that I'm to be notified immediately should he require any additional medications. How did that escape this person's notice?"

All Carol could reply was, "Sorry, Danny. Guess there was a lapse in training."

Steve couldn't keep silent any longer even if he still had no clue what the hell was happening. "Has this person been dealt with? Has there been an attempt at starting retraining?"

"Yes, Commander, the facility director has already scheduled Luca for remedial classes. We take this type of breach in protocol quite seriously."

It should have bothered Steve more that this woman already knew who he was, but he was to busy trying to figure out how to help Danny. The man was way too calm again and a calm Danny wasn't a good thing. Before he could go any further, Danny laid a hand on his arm.

"Steven, it's okay. They're really diligent here. That's why I chose this place." Turning back to Carol he asked, "Is he in his room?"

"Yes. We all knew you'd be in so we figured it was best to let him hang out there."

"Thanks," Danny said as he motioned for Steve to follow him and reminding him to, "remember what I asked."

Danny wound his way through the building like it was his second home. He acknowledge with a wave and a quick smile, every greeting that was thrown his way. After several turns and hallways, he halted about midway down what felt like the twentieth hallway the pair had walked. The door before them was partially open but even at that angle Steve could read the name placard; N. Williams.


	3. The Good

Danny didn't miss the tilt of Steve's head towards the name, the silent question in his eyes. "Just give me a minute. I'll let you know when it's okay to come in. Just stay out of line of sight till then, 'kay?" He didn't wait for an answer, moving into the room.

Steve strained to hear the conversation in the room as Danny's voice had a tone and softness that he'd never heard coming from his partner.

"Hey, buddy. I am here now. Understand you had a tough night. You doing better?"

Some strange garbled noises followed Danny's questions, but Steve didn't hear a real reply. Danny's conversation continued in the same manner with pauses for the corresponding noises.

"Sorry you had to see that last night, but I am right here. Nothing happened. What you want my badge? Okay, here you go. You hold tight to that. Keep it safe until I have to go."

There was a pause where Steve could hear the badge being pulled from it's belt clip and then Danny's voice continued. "Hey, buddy, you remember me talking about my friend, Steve. Well, I brought him today to meet you. Think you are up to it?"

The garbled noises sounded like excited birds to Steve, but he didn't have time to register that as Danny was at the door motioning him to enter the room. He had no idea what to expect, but the site that greeted him left Steve speechless and stunned.

The room included a bed, two uncomfortable looking chairs and a small dresser. The chairs were situated side by side in front of a young man in a wheelchair. Danny's measured movements took him to the chair on the far left and he motioned for Steve to take the chair next to him. Copying the man's movements, Steve did just that.

When he finally faced the man, Steve almost fell out of his chair. The boy was a younger version of Danny except for the haircut. Danny chuckled at his partner's reaction but he spoke to the boy.

"Hey, Nate. I think we surprised Steve. My guess would be that he thinks we look alike, how about you?"

The boy seem to check out Steve, but his attention was pulled to the badge clipped to the Seals belt. He made some frantic gestures and jerked towards Danny.

Danny immediately leaned towards Steve whispering in his ear, "Very slowly unclip your badge and hand it to him. He'll calm down once he can touch it."

While Steve did as asked, Danny took pity on him. Returning to his previous tone and volume, "Nate that badge belongs to my friend, Steve. Will you say hello to him?"

Nate bobbed his head several times in Steve's general direction.

"Steve, I would like you to meet Nathan Mitchell Williams, also known as Nate or buddy."

Noticing that Danny hadn't used a single contraction when talking to Nate, he regulated his voice and greeted the boy, "It is very nice to meet you, Nate."

The trio sat together for about two hours. Danny chatted about anything and everything; from how the Jets were supposed to do this year to very sanitized stories of Five-0's latest cases. He even exaggerated stories of the teams exploits (also very sanitized) at work and at home. Steve caught on that if they were talking about their jobs, no names were tied to the story, it was always Five-0, but their private lives were different. Kono's surfing, Chin's motorbike and Steve's swimming were fair game. Steve also noted that the only blood family members mentioned were Danny's parents and his brother Matt. The conversation kept Steve on his toes as he struggled to match his partner's demeanor and contribute at the same time.

They continued bantering until Danny heard noises coming from the hall. He then looked a Steve, indicating with his eyes that Danny would take over the rest of the conversation.

"Hey, Nate. Hear that? It means lunch is on the way. I think it said mushroom soup, your favorite." Danny waited for a response. Nate's demeanor changed instantly and Danny quickly spoke again, "I know what that look means. You cannot be mad that Steve and I have to go. You know how it works. Lunch, therapy and nap. Time is up for visiting today."

Steve watched Nate's reaction. The boy got agitated and animated. Danny stood right in front of him, grabbed his flaying arms and pulled him into a hug. The boy was strong. Only Danny's quiet, "Steve," kept him from jumping in to help. Nate calmed down after a minute and Danny released his hold.

"Nate, I need you to give the badges back." The boy looked ready to protest again but Danny deflected him by saying, "We cannot be Five-0 without our badges. That is how it works remember." Nate stretched out his arms and Steve followed Danny's lead in reaching for his badge.

"So, are you going to let us give you a hug before we go? You know how your hug keeps me safe." Nate opened his arms and Danny leaned into the hug, holding him firmly, seeming to breathe in the boy's very essence. He released Nate saying, "It is Steve's turn." When the boy pulled him in, Steve could believe that hugs would indeed keep him safe.

"I will back soon. Promise." Danny whispered near Nate's ear. The arrival of a food tray covered their departure.

The way out was punctuated by the same greetings as before. Steve realized that most of them residents didn't remember Danny coming in through earlier. At the front desk, Danny signed them out, while chatting with Ami. Steve tried not to ease drop, but he couldn't help it if the man's voiced carried.

"You coming back tomorrow, Danny?"

"Yeah, I'll be here. It's the big park field trip. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You know we could use some extra hands tomorrow. Would the Commander be willing to help out?"

"You know. It may be too soon for that."

Steve realized they were talking about him. "What would I have to do?"

"Really, Steve. It's not necessary."

Ami jumped in, "Mostly just help push a wheelchair, chat with the participants, nothing too taxing."

"If it's all right with Danny, I'd love to come." The look on Danny's face made his offer more than worthwhile.

"Good, I'll mark you two down. Danny, I have your background check on file. Commander, would you be able to bring a copy with you?" Ami's enthusiasm was contagious.

"It's just Steve and it won't be a problem."

"Good, good. See you guys tomorrow."

Steve was afraid that he'd overstepped his bounds because Danny didn't say anything all the way back to the car.

"Look, partner, if you don't want me to, I can just run back in and tell them I've gotten a call or something."

"Nah, it's not that. I'm just surprised is all. You're kinda jumping in with both feet here. Then again, maybe I'm not surprised cause that's what you do all the time. How 'bout I buy you that beer. I know a place and I owe you some answers."

"Got all the time in the world, Danno."


	4. Explinations

They drove in uncharacteristic silence to a part of Honolulu Steve didn't know. Danny wasn't looking forward to the conversation that needed to happen. Steve really deserved answers now, but Danny was still having a hard time. If he really thought about it, he was a little afraid that his friend would be disappointed in him for the choices he'd made in the past. He took a really deep breath. It was time to take his advice to Grace, _just rip the band aide off, it'll hurt less in the end_.

Because it was still early, the little bar and grille was mostly empty. Steve waited long enough for their beers to be delivered before he jumped to the topic. "Okay, Danny, spill."

"I don't know where to start."

"How 'bout the beginning and we'll go from there."

"Yeah, it's as good as place as any. God, we were so young. Karen was only sixteen. I was seventeen almost eighteen. Man, were her parents mad. Mine were disappointed, but I think Mom was just a little thrilled at getting her first grandchild. Karen's parents pushed for an abortion, but it was too late. Karen was too far along by the time we told our folks so they decided adoption would be ideal. Pop insisted I not tell my siblings. He didn't want them getting ideas of their own, though I'm fairly sure they all figured it out before Nate was born."

Danny took a break to down some of his drink then continued. "The pregnancy was textbook perfect. Trust me when I say that because I read every pregnancy book I could get my hands on. Neither of us was keen on the idea of adoption and had a huge fight with her folks. She ended up moving in with her dad's sister. Nate is the only baby I've known to come on his due date. He was perfect, absolutely perfect. We both managed to graduate high school and I enrolled in the police academy. We were making it work. Nate was an easy kid, so happy and out going, a lot more like his mother than me. Then it changed." Danny's diatribe stopped abruptly as he lost his composure.

Wanting to give his partner a second to collect himself, Steve waved to the waitress for another round and ordered sandwiches for the two of them.

Danny continued after the waitress moved away. "He was just four years old when it happened."

Steve could tell Danny was headed for that dark place in his mind. He reached over and placed a hand on his partner's arm hoping it would ground the man and bring him back. "What happened then?"

"Karen had classes so Nate was with a babysitter. Some cousin of Karen's I think. Anyway, he was playing on the front stoop with the neighbor boy when the kid got mad and pushed Nate down the cement stairs. The babysitter called an ambulance right away, but it was too late, the damage was done. On top of that, he had a grand mal seizure while in the hospital. Doctors told us we were lucky, it could've been much worse."

"Ah, Danny." He didn't know what else to say.

"Nah, it's okay. We still had Nate. We adjusted. Nate was about six when it got to the point Karen couldn't handle him on her own, he became violent. Even though he was only six, he was strong. Almost knocked me on my butt a couple of times. I was already a cop by then. There was no way a judge would let me have him. We were forced to put him in a home. This is his fourth one."

Their sandwiches arrived. It gave Danny an excuse to take a break and collect himself again. He hadn't realized how exhausting this would be. "So that's the bulk of it. Feel free to ask the questions rattling around in that Super Seal size head of yours."

Danno's insult made him smile, but Steve didn't know where to start so he said, "I don't want to pry."

"Steven, I just introduced you to my son. A son you didn't even know I had and I've just told you stuff that only five other people knew about until now. I think you've earned the right to ask questions."

"Where's Karen now?"

"She was killed in a car accident eight months after we put Nate in the home. It took me three months to get him balanced again. He doesn't deal well with change. Oh hell, what am I saying. He doesn't deal with change at all."

It wasn't the answer he expected, but his partner still looked receptive. "So, five others."

"Yeah. Karen, Karen's aunt, Mom, Pop and Mattie."

"You never told Rachel or Grace."

"Nope."

"Danny, I don't understand."

"I'm not so sure I understand myself. He'd been all mine for so long, I just didn't want to share him at first. When I knew it was getting serious with Rachel I tried a couple times, but I gave up after something she said one day." Danny stopped there, his face completely readable.

Sure he didn't want to know the answer, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "D, what did she say?"

Hanging his head and taking great interest in the placemat, Danny started with mumbling but soon the words were clear. "We were having lunch at some family place when a group came in. They were from a transitional place."

Without looking up, he could tell Steve had _Confusion _face and it brought a sad smile to his own face. "It's a place where more functional adults can go and learn social skills, be more independent. Rachel took one look at the group and I just knew. It was the first time I ever saw her use that British prune look. I don't remember all the words, but the ones that stuck are 'disgusting, not out in polite society, locked facility and can't eat in the same place with those degenerates'."

The silence that followed his revelation made Danny wonder if Steve had left the table. He looked up and for once was appreciative of the _Aneurysm_ face staring back at him. "At first I thought she was talking about the refinery workers that came in behind them. When I realized who she was really talking about, I saw red for a minute and then I looked at her beautiful face, my bluster faded. All I could see was the love in her eyes as she looked back at me. Guess that should have been my wake up call, but I convinced myself that I'd be able to change her mind. Didn't work so I just... Well, work made it easy to hide my visits and it was second nature by then to keep Nate my 'big secret'." Danny let out a snort, "Never thought of it before but my son was my mistress."

Steve chose to ignore his friend's last comment because it was simply not true. His decision was rewarded by a firm smile. "So this is Nate's fourth place. How come?"

"Yeah, the first place specialized in young kids. I had to transfer him out when he was ten. The second, well let's just say I didn't do my due diligence completely. He was out within a month. The third place was really good. Nate thrived. Even his violent tendencies tapered off. My move to Hawaii brought the fourth. I wasn't going to leave my kid behind even though I knew how hard it was going to be."

"You said he doesn't do change. Is that why it was hard?"

"Yeah, he didn't settle down for almost six months. There was a point where I thought they were going to insist I institutionalized him, but then I started telling him about this crazy Neanderthal, Super Seal goof I'd gotten for a partner and he started to come around."

Steve grinned, "Glad I'm good for something other than getting you shot at."

"Well, don't let it go to your head. Your ego is big enough as it is."

Steve leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to look hurt. "I don't have an ego."

Tit for tat, Danny let that comment slide. Both men realized they'd been ignoring their lunch so for a little while they concentrated on the food and beer.

Steve used the food as a cover to consider how to word his next question. No matter which ones he picked, none of them seemed right so he decided to just go for it. "What's gonna happen if Rachel takes Grace to Vegas?"

He regretted the question the minute the words left his mouth. Danny instantly deflated, looking like all the worlds problems had been suddenly dumped in his lap and he given only seconds to solve them.

"Damn, Danny, I'm so sorry."

"Nah, it's a fair question," his friend responded visibly shaking himself. "Just give me a sec, 'kay?"

Steve sat back, finished his sandwich and took a couple more swallows of his drink. He'd wait all day if it meant he'd be able to help the man he'd come to think of as his brother.

When he answered, Steve had to lean forward to catch the words, "I won't be able to follow Grace this time." Steve waited.

Clearing his throat, Danny said again, "I won't be able to follow Grace. Rachel's forcing me to choose between my children and I _have to_ choose Nate. I have no idea what another move would do and I'm not willing to risk it. Cause no matter how much I hate this island, it will _always_ be Nate's home even if it isn't Grace's. I have to console myself with the fact that at least Grace will have her mother and we should be able to arrange some kind of visits." He paused then added ruefully, "Seems like my life is now reduced to constantly choosing between my family and my family."

Steve had nothing but, "Sucks."

Danny let out a strained chuckle. "You got any more? Cause I gotta admit I'm 'bout done."

"I just have one more. Why now? I'm honored to be among the select few, but why me, why now?"

"Making up for borrowed time and bombs."

"What?" Steve blurted, not sure if he heard his partner right.

"I told you, for the last ten years I've been living on borrowed time. Shouldn't have had this time with my kids. I realized last night that now I need to make up for it, by sharing Nate. Because of his special needs, I _have_ to be careful. He really responds to my stories, maybe the slight embellishments, about you, so I rolled the dice."

There was a slight pause before he continued. "You know, it took him a year to even let Mat touch him, so I'm feeling very fortunate that he let you hug him. My goal is to expand his friendship circle by introducing him to my friends. I can't bring Grace in right now cause Nate and kids don't mix. I'll wait till she's older. Hopefully by then I'll have the right words to explain why I've hid her brother from her."

Steve hoped he'd continue on his own, but when it looked like Danny wasn't inclined, he prodded, "And the bombs?"

Wiping his chin on a napkin, Danny sighed. "Remember when I said I needed a favor?" Catching the affirmative nod, he went on, "Well, as I stood frozen in front of that bomb yesterday, I realized that again I hadn't done my due diligence concerning Nate. I asked you to take care of Grace and I was about to add Nate when you interrupted. It took your next words 'you're her father' to slam me upside my head. You should have said 'you're _their_ father'. If I died, Nate'd have no one to make sure he was being taken care of. Mom and Pop are too old to deal with this and Matt. Well, we both know those cards are no longer on the table. I thought about who I trusted enough to make sure at least Nate's basic needs would be met. You were the only one I could consider."

Misinterpreting a face he'd never seen before, Danny rushed on, "It wouldn't be that hard. You wouldn't have to visit him or anything like that. Just check in occasionally to make sure he's being treated well. I set up an account a long time ago that has so far covered the costs for the home that the government doesn't subsidize. I have a life insurance policy designated to go directly into the account so unless the zombie apocalypse happens, the money's covered. It's monitored by my lawyer and his firm with automatic payments so there's nothing to do." He finally ran out of words. This had been a mistake. There were favors and then there were favors. Sometimes even ohana had to say, "No."

Steve had to admit that when Danny'd asked if he'd go with him today, this wasn't anything close to what had come to mind. It was a lot to take in, but for whatever reason, he wasn't having a problem with it. Looking directly at Danny, it dawned on him that he was leaving his partner hanging so he said the only words that came from his heart, "Of course I'll do it, Danny, you're ohana and I like Nate. Besides, despite what you say, he's a lot like his father. The only condition I have is..."


	5. The Ugly

Danny's phone rang before Steve could finish his sentence.

"Williams."

"Hey, Carol. What's up?"

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"How the hell? How did he?"

"What's his name?"

"Todd Benson. Got it."

"No, I'll be there in minutes and that son of bitch had better not be anywhere near my son, but he had better be somewhere where I can beat the shit out of him." Danny stood abruptly, threw some money on the table, then turned to Steve, "Come on, super Seal, your about to see first hand what you just got yourself into."

Tossing the keys at McGarrett, Danny moved towards the passenger side, "Maybe it's better if you drive. I'd break all the traffic laws right now."

Steve didn't have to ask where to, he jumped in the Camaro, hit the police lights and pulled out into the street. Later both men would realize that the day would go down in history as the only day Danny didn't complain about Steve's driving.

Danny ran out of then car and into the building with Steve hot on his tail. They rushed past Ami at the front desk so fast they barely heard her, "Go get him, Danny!" For once, Steve had to make an effort to keep up with his partner, which gave credence to how ticked the man was.

Danny skidded to a halt just inside Nate's door. Quickly taking in the scene, he took a fortifying breath and moved so his son could see him motioning for Steve to stay behind him. Nate stood in the middle of the room, gesturing wildly, throwing punches into the air. The boy was making keening noises, some sounding like words. One was particularly clear, "Daaaaadeeee." In a moderate tone, slightly louder than he'd used on his previous visit, he spoke to his son, "Nate, Daddy is here. You need to calm down. That man is not here anymore. He cannot bother you."

Danny continued his litany while carefully moving closer to his son. Steve watched, ready to jump in at Danny's signal. He had to hold himself back when Nate inadvertently caught his partner with a right cross. The man stumbled a little, but continued his conversation. Nate started to calm down but one last inadvertent jab caught his dad on the chin and he went down. Steve moved in, taking over for Danny, getting Nate calm enough to sit on his bed. Looking back at his friend, he was relieved to see him standing upright, rubbing his jaw.

"Ah, Nate, it has been a long time since you took a shot at your old man. I think you owe me an apology."

Steve stared in amazement and confusion at Danny. Was he really going to lay into the boy? What he saw next stunned him more.

"I am waiting, Nate." The young man got up, walked over to his father and grabbed him in a big hug. "That is right, buddy. You cannot hit people. I know you were upset, but you cannot do this again. Do you understand me?" Nate bowed his head, but Danny gently pulled his chin up, making Nate look him in the eyes. "Nate?" The boy bobbed his head and moved back to his bed. "Now, I am going to talk to Mr. Benson. Stay here and wait for me."

Nate whipped his head to look at Steve, Danny responded, "Yes, Steve is coming with me, but I will bring him back, promise." Nate bobbed again.

Danny turned to Steve, "Come on, let's go deal with that asshole." Looking over Steve's shoulder, "Carol, where is he?"

"Danny, he's in the conference room. The weasel ducked in here when Luca stopped to help Tina with her water bottle. We've already reported him to his supervisor." Carol explained, half in apology.

"Thank you. I expect Mr. Okina to be available when I'm finished." Danny's icy tone broke no argument. "Oh, and Carol, sorry for the language earlier," his tone a bit warmer and apologetic.

"Don't worry about it, Danny. I've heard worse. Now deal with that little prick."

Steve watched his partner move down the hall. His normal swagger maybe just a little faster, but one would really have to know Danny for that to be obvious. Just looking at the Jersey boy, one would think he didn't have a care in the world. Steve knew better as Danny was quiet and his arms still. For Danny, silent and still equaled deadly. Steve couldn't wait for the fireworks.

Danny didn't knock at the conference door, he walked in like he owned the place. The young man sitting at the table surprised Steve. The kid didn't look any older than Nate and Steve almost felt sorry for him, almost. Danny cleared his throat, time for the show to begin.

"Daniel it's good to meet you."

Oh, yay, Steve thought, this was going to be good.

"That would be Detective Williams or Mr. Williams, at minimum, to you."

"I like to try to keep my relationships more casual, Daniel. You can call me Todd."

"And you can call me Detective Williams."

"Well, okay then, Detective Williams, as I was saying, it's nice to meet you."

Steve was just thinking that the kid did have a sense of self-preservation until he caught the rest of what spilled from the ding bat's mouth, "And it's a pleasure to meet you. You must be the _husband_, Mr. uh, Mr. Williams?" he questioned as he held out his had towards Steve.

Danny moved to block the gesture, while giving Steve his "don't worry I got this" look. He turned back to the clueless social worker and Danny didn't bother to stop the slow smile spreading across his face. He was really going to enjoy this.

Deciding to ignore the _husband_ comment for the moment, Danny went straight for the jugular, "Kindly explain to me exactly what in the hell you were thinking, going into my son's room without my permission."

Todd looked dumbfounded but he recovered quickly, "Well, I, uh, I want to get to know the people on my case list and I took the opportunity to drop in and say hello while the attendant was busy."

Pointing at the stack of folders on the table, Danny calmly asked, "So, in the interest of being prepared, I'm assuming that you've read the case files cover to cover so you'd be fully knowledgeable before you quote 'decided to drop in'?"

The guy visibly relaxed, "Of course. I've studied every file in depth, but of course you know that what is on paper is not always reality. I like one on one's to truly connect with my clients."

Danny seem to ponder the statement a minute. "Funny you should say that and I happen to agree with you. Are these your files?" Danny not bothering to wait for confirmation, picked up the stack and started sorting through them.

"Hey, those are confidential," the young social worker protested.

Danny was nonplused as he ignored the interruption. "Nah, you see the state grants the parent rights to all information on their minor children." Danny stopped on one file and gestured for Steve to move closer. "Look, _dear_, this is _our son's_ file. Quite an interesting read wouldn't you say."

A credit to Steve, he played the role Danny assigned him. He moved so he could read the file over his partner's much shorter shoulder. He had to try really hard to hide his grin, "Yep, that's Nate all right. I still say he take's after your mother's side of the family."

Danny patted his arm and smiled his 'watch this' smile, the one he usually reserved for Steve when introducing the Seal to a new police procedure. "Yeah, looking at this picture, you may be right." He then put the file back into the stack and dropped them on the table.

The young idiot shifted back and forth on his feet, showing his nervousness. It actually looked like it was beginning to dawn on him that he was in over his head.

Danny turned to Steve, "Hey, _babe_, you got a paper and pen on you?"

Not sure where Danny was going with this, Steve found the requested objects in a lower pants pocket. Handing them to his partner, he watched intently as Danny made a big show of setting the paper down on the table, fake nibbling on the end of the pen, uncapping said pen and writing on the paper. He even pulled out his phone, making it obvious he was checking through contacts to see if he'd got the information correct. When he finished, he handed the pen back to Steve and the paper to Todd.

Todd frowned, "What's this?"

"Those are a couple of numbers I think you should call." Danny enjoyed watching the kid's frown deepen. "The first number is for a good optometrist I know and the second is for my daughter's second grade reading teacher. I really encourage you to call both of them because unless Nate is able to age prematurely and choose his gender at will, he is not a fifty-two year old woman named Nadine. Oh, and since you got _that_ wrong, you may want consider what else you've gotten wrong."

Grabbing Steve's hand, he strode to the door. "Come on, _honey,_ let's leave this poor man alone to contemplate the demise of his current career." Steve trotted behind his friend, but not before he threw a mock salute to the social worker.

They weren't five feet out the door when Steve's laughter got the best of him, he doubled over with his hands on his thighs. Trying to catch his breath, he pleaded, "Danny, you gotta give me a sec. That was better than any Danny-rant you've ever delivered."

"Why thank you, Steven. You weren't so bad yourself. Thanks for playing along."

"My pleasure, D, my pleasure. So what now?"

Danny frowned, "Now I need to speak to the home director. Not something I'm looking forward to. This is the first time I've had problems with this place since Nate moved in. Now twice in less than twenty-four hours. Man, I just don't know."

"Come on, partner, let's tag team this guy. It'll be okay,"

Turned out Steve was right. Their meeting with Mr. Okina went well. The intern from the night before was the same person that had let Todd Benson escape. He'd been let go and memo had already been drafted to go out every employee. In short, it was anti-climatic. Reassured, Danny and Steve stepped out into the hallway.

Minutes later found the partners standing outside Nate's room. The boy was sitting in his wheelchair facing his bed making inarticulate noises. Danny's sigh reverberated through his body while he absently rubbed his bruised jaw. "Looks like he's settled again, but with Nate, well looks are," he left the sentence unfinished. Steve nodded while putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Danny gave him a thank you smile. "Okay, let's see how bad the damage is," he said quietly and walked into his son's room. "Hey, buddy, I see you have the chair out again. You know it is not going to distract me." Danny took a spot on the bed in front of Nate and motioned for Steve to do the same.

Nate spotted Steve's badge and made motions to hold it again. Steve's hand moved to his waistband but was stilled by Danny's hand touching his elbow. Danny answered his questioning look with a shake of his head. "No, Nate, you cannot have the badge right now. We need to talk about what just happened. You know that you are not allowed to hit people. If you have to hit do you remember what you are supposed to hit?" When Nate showed no sign of acknowledging his question, Danny prompted again, "What are you allowed to hit, Nate?" Nate reached out and patted the mattress next to Danny's leg. "That is right, buddy, you can only hit the mattress. You cannot hit people, is that clear?" Nate slumped in his chair. Danny continued, "I am glad you understand. We are done talking about it now."

Nate perked up, he gestured towards Steve's chest then patted the side of his wheelchair, then he tapped Steve's chest and patted his chair again. At Steve's confused face, Danny let out a deep chuckle before clarifying the situation. "No, Nate, Steve is not going to let you put racing stripes on your chair either." Just then, the boy let out a big yawn, stood abruptly and climbed around the two men to stretch out on the bed.

Danny looked at Steve who was still trying to take in the moment. "That's our cue, Steven. Nate is done for the afternoon." Grabbing the blanket from the end of the bed, Danny pulled it up over his sleepy son, kissed him on the forehead and straightened. Without saying anything else, he moved the wheelchair over to the corner and left the room, leaving Steve to follow in his wake.

Their exit from the facility this time was done in absolute silence. Danny barely nodded to the receptionist as they passed. Once outside, he went directly to the passenger side and waited for Steve to unlock the door. Sliding into the seat, Danny gave Steve a tired look, "How 'bout we finish our conversation back at your place?"


	6. The Best

The drive back to Steve's was also in silence. Danny sat, staring out the window at the passing scenery. Steve gripped the wheel tightly and managed to keep to the speed limit. He sent Danny several concerned glances but held his thoughts to himself. There'd be enough time to talk when they were both firmly ensconced in the beach chairs with some Longboards.

Gratefully accepting the beer Steve offered, Danny continued to stare out at the ocean. He waited for his friend to drop into the chair next to him before he spoke. "So, you've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. All in one day too. Wanna reconsider your answer?"

"Danny, it wasn't that bad. It certainly wasn't what I expected, but it wasn't that bad. My answer is the same. I'm honored you trust me enough to take care of your kids."

"There's no one else I trust more, Steven."

They sat in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts.

Steve broke the quiet. "Danny, I do have a couple more questions if you don't mind."

"Ask away, babe. You've earned it."

"Well, how often does Nate act out like that?"

"Surprisingly not very often. Don't get me wrong, he can throw a temper tantrum as good as any kid with a four year old mentality can, but this one is rare. He hasn't punched me since about seven months after we moved here. Seeing me on the news and a complete stranger invading his space just short circuited his wiring."

"And the badge thing? It's a reward and a comfort for him?"

"Yeah, always has been. He seems to like the Five-0 badge better than the Jersey one. Not sure why, but I use what I can get."

Steve nodded in understanding. "I have just one more question. Why the wheelchair? It's obvious he doesn't need it and what's with the racing stripe reference?"

"That's actually two questions, Steven, but I'll let it slide and be gracious enough to answer both." He could feel Steve's smirk even though he wasn't looking at his partner. Danny took a swallow of his beer before continuing, "Well, you should know us William's well enough by now to realize we really like our wheels and what better way to show it than detailing them."

Steve's shouted laugh carried out to the ocean.


End file.
